After finishing their morning run, Lin Cheng and Green Hair went to grab breakfast. Big Bear was still sitting alone in the corner of the cafeteria, his meal piled much higher than anyone else’s.
He clearly didn’t fit in with this prison at all. Sitting there by himself, he looked a bit lonely. After all, his status was that of an Alliance Adjudicator—and an SS-rank Physical System one, at that.
Physical System ability users were common enough, but an SS-rank one was about as rare as they came. Hand him an Alchemy Bone-Cleaving Knife, and he could take down a dozen ordinary S-rankers in ten minutes flat.
Big Bear looked like an easygoing guy, and Lin Cheng had always been good at reading people from their eyes. Big Bear’s gaze screamed “honest fellow,” so Lin Cheng happily plopped down across from him and asked for an apple.
Big Bear didn’t mind at all. He even peeled a banana and handed it over.
“Big Bear bro’s a real stand-up guy.”
“I wasn’t gonna finish it anyway.” Big Bear just chuckled. “Besides, you’re not a bad guy.”
“How could you tell, Big Bear bro?”
“I’ve been stuck in here for over two years. Your eyes are different from theirs. I could tell right away you didn’t end up here because you committed a crime.”
“Reading more books really pays off.” Lin Cheng lowered his voice and gave him a warm smile, sneaking in a quick wink. Big Bear blinked in surprise, but by then Lin Cheng was already grabbing his apple and standing up. “Thanks, Big Bear bro. Catch you next time.”
Back in their cell, the blood-draw team showed up soon after to take Lin Cheng’s sample. They even brought good news: preliminary tests showed no connection between his blood and that Person Slaughter from two years ago. One more confirmation, and he’d be cleared—free to go.
Once the phlebotomist left, Lin Cheng and Green Hair swapped books and settled in to read.
They were both quiet, no chit-chat. At lunchtime, they headed out together for a meal. Lin Cheng swung by Big Bear’s table again to mooch some food and chat briefly. After lunch, he returned to the cell for more reading. Dinner came, and he happily hit up Big Bear for seconds, even swiping a bunch of grapes on his way out to split with Green Hair.
Late night, 9:30 p.m.
A City, West City Chemical Factory.
The piercing alarm blared without warning. The instant it sounded, alerts rang out across the Alliance. Sensors had picked up energy fluctuations signaling an SS-rank Catastrophe descent.
It had been a full year since A City last saw an SS-rank Catastrophe. Every Adjudicator ranked S-level or higher was summoned at once—even those dead asleep had their Space Rings crackle with lightning, jolting them awake to receive orders and head to the West City Chemical Factory.
There was only one playbook for an SS-rank Catastrophe: swarm tactics, minimizing casualties through sheer numbers.
The good news was that the Alliance had drilled countless emergency plans over the past two or three years. Their Alchemy Technology research was finally ready for prime time, and they’d promoted several Special S-levels in recent years. The rehearsed strategies could now take the stage. The air of fear wasn’t as thick as it might have been. The Adjudicators arriving in West City, bracing for the Catastrophe, all wore tense expressions—but their eyes burned bright.
Late night, 10:00 p.m. sharp.
The prison lights were out, save for the faint glow in the main hall. The cells were pitch black.
Green Hair had just climbed out of bed when Lin Cheng’s voice cut in perfectly timed. “What are you up to?”
Green Hair turned. In the blackout, they couldn’t really make each other out. He gave a wry chuckle. “If those Alliance bastards want me handing over my tech, that’s an insult to my alchemy skills.”
“So?”
“I’ve gotta bounce, buddy.” Green Hair grinned in the dark. “You coming?”
“I can walk out the front door tomorrow. No need to run.”
“Fair enough, just checking.” In the shadows, Green Hair stripped off his shirt. A black tattoo on his chest lit up like flowing photonic veins. Lin Cheng couldn’t help asking, “What’s that?”
“It’s an Alchemy Matrix synced with the one running this whole prison.” Pride swelled in Green Hair’s voice—such a genius idea deserved an audience.
“What does it do?”
“Inside this matrix, I’m the boss. The guards’ abilities get suppressed… and everyone else? They get theirs back.”
“It’s been active since last night, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“Then why bail tonight?”
“This place has Alchemy Technology blocking the way—took time to crack. Plus, those Alliance SS-ranks are no joke… but tonight, they’re tied up. My people already cracked open an SS-rank Catastrophe rift in West City. Perfect timing.”
“You’re not just escaping—you’re taking them with you?”
“Of course. That’s why I came here in the first place. With their brains, they’d never catch me otherwise.”
“Why?”
“Our organization’s short on muscle lately. Time to conscript some grunts.”
“No, I mean… why tell me all this?”
“You’re not leaving anyway. You can rat me out to the Alliance later. Call it our little taunt.”
“What’s your organization called?”
“Abyss Walkers.”
“See ya, buddy.” Green Hair flashed one last grin at Lin Cheng in the dark. He touched a tattoo on his shoulder—an Alchemy spatial tech one—and pulled out a whistle, bringing it to his lips.
“You all hear that? Feeling your energy come back? The Alliance’s top S-ranks and above won’t make it here for at least an hour. Anyone who doesn’t wanna rot in this dump forever, bust out of your cells and follow me. The guards’ powers are sealed—don’t waste time on them. Rally in the hall. I’ll get us through the Alchemy Technology. I’m getting you out.”
Lin Cheng heard it too in his ear. Clever—an Alchemy Whistle for broadcasting. Then Green Hair tapped the shoulder tattoo again, drawing a dagger. It sliced through the cell bars like butter, carving out a gap. Lin Cheng stayed put in the dark, watching him slip away.
The darkness erupted in commotion and cheers. The sounds of cells breaking echoed nonstop. Some ability users’ powers weren’t great for busting bars, but inmates quickly helped each other out. A massive crowd soon gathered in the hall.
Lin Cheng sat silent in the shadows the whole time. Every other cell in the prison was trashed—no one but him wanted to stick around and clear their name.
The power grid went down too. Lin Cheng watched the cameras wink out in the dark. He sighed, stood, and slipped through the gap Green Hair had cut. He headed to the last occupied cell.
Big Bear’s.
Big Bear had heard the whistle too. He stood at his door, gripping the alloy bars tight, straining to bend them. It was tough going.
His energy was suppressed by the Alchemy Matrix, after all. But he was SS-rank. His rage… might just break through. His eyes had gone blood-red. A little desk lamp glowed faintly in his cell, making the crimson in his gaze look downright terrifying.
When Lin Cheng appeared, Big Bear looked stunned. He stared at Lin Cheng, who now held a set of black clothes. Lin Cheng slipped them on quietly.
Superheroes in stories transformed with flair, but alas—Si Ming’s Uniform had to be donned the old-fashioned way.
Big Bear gaped at the mask in Lin Cheng’s hand. He froze, his face lighting up with raw emotion. His voice trembled. “How… how did they lock you up in here? They… they wouldn’t dare!”
“Nah, I just made up an excuse to drop in and see you. Had some stuff to say.” Lin Cheng gave a helpless smile. “Planned to bounce after, but timing’s a bitch.”
Green Hair’s breakout had been totally off Lin Cheng’s script. He’d only come to chat with Big Bear. Didn’t want to show up as Si Ming anymore, so this was the workaround.
“Take it easy. I got this.” Lin Cheng pressed a hand to Big Bear’s chest. “I told you—your power hits SS+ when you don’t rely on rage. Don’t sweat it. That Alchemy Matrix seal on you will lift soon. I’ll hold them off till then.”
Big Bear stared, then let out a bitter laugh after a long moment. “Never figured the boss looked so young.”
“Hey, I’m two years younger than you. My identity’s a secret—keep it zipped. The Alliance head’s got a real hard-on for my powers right now.”
“That bastard…”
“Later for that. Two years of book-learning’s plenty. The world’s fun out there—go soak it up. If you’re lost in the Alliance, find that Lu Lingling woman. I cleared it with her. She’ll sort you out. Listen if you want, ignore if you don’t. Do you.”
“Got it, boss.” Big Bear nodded hard.
“Cool. Chill for twenty. Your matrix unlocks then. I’ll buy time. No worries.”
In the dark, Lin Cheng glanced down at the snarling Demon Face Mask. He gave a wry smile and slipped it back on.
It molded to his face at once, covering everything but a pair of eyes—now sharp, cold, and fierce.
